New daily deal website launches out of Williamsburg

Ron Saulnier isn’t worried that his new daily deal website, DailySocials.com, is just another discount in the pack.

“There’s enough room for a lot of deals out there,” he says. “I watch other daily deal sites and applaud them. What we’re doing differently is our partnership with charities. And we also give our time to the communities.”

About 2 percent of every sale is donated to charities such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure, March of Dimes and Network Williamsburg.

Saulnier has partnered with John Walrath, who is also a Williamsburg resident and former business owner. The two consider themselves a powerhouse team whose work ethic cannot be matched.

Their website works a lot like other daily deal sites such as Groupon.com or LivingSocial.com, though deals in Hampton Roads are its only focus so far. Boston, Saulnier says in his thick out-of-town accent, is his next stop.

Right now, shoppers can get $40 worth of food at Hayashi Sushi & Grill for $20 or $10 worth of frozen yogurt at Berrybody for $5. That second deal could be free for customers who refer a friend. Shoppers earn a $5 credit to the website for the first referred friend that purchases a deal.

And, much like other sites, social interaction is key. Saulnier hopes to grow his Facebook presence in the coming weeks and gather suggestions from locals on what they would like to see from a local discount website.

To find the deals, shoppers can visit DailySocials.com and sign up for email alerts.